On Friday, March 8, the Nashville Predators announced the signing of goaltender Gustavs Grigals to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, valued at $775,000 at the NHL level.
Before his professional career, Grigals played in four seasons at the collegiate level. First at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (2018-2022) and later at UMass Lowell (2022-2023) before transitioning to professional play. During his last collegiate season, he achieved a record of 12 wins, nine losses, and two ties with a notable 2.05 goals-against average and an impressive .924 save percentage. His achievements had earned him a spot on the Hockey East Third All-Star Team.
Grigals currently holds a season record of seven wins and 15 losses in his inaugural professional season with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators. Throughout his 26 games with Atlanta, Grigals maintained a 3.68 goals-against average, a .898 save percentage and secured one shutout. Notably, Grigals made his American Hockey League (AHL) debut with the Milwaukee Admirals on December 31, 2023. Later, Grigals delivered an impressive performance on February 28 by making 50 saves for the Atlanta Gladiators against the Jacksonville Icemen. His goaltending prowess helped the team go on to a 5-4 shootout win for Atlanta, undeniably a stunning showcase performance for the netminder.
The team also signed forward Mark Jankowski to a two-year contract worth $775,000 in 2024-25 and $825,000 in 2025-26. Jankowski has recorded three points (2 goals, one assist) across 14 games with the Nashville Predators. He has amassed an impressive total of 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists) in 40 games for Milwaukee and secured a goal in his second appearance for Nashville on December 5th against the Chicago Blackhawks.
After his recent recall by Nashville on February 19th, the forward held the top position in points for the Admirals and ranked third in the AHL overall. Jankowski earned recognition as the AHL’s Player of the Month for January following an exceptional performance of seven goals and 11 assists in 11 games, contributing significantly to the Admirals’ undefeated streak during that month.
During his first season with Nashville, Jankowski scored 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in 50 games. Impressively, he also stood out by leading the Predators in shorthanded goals, with a total of three for the season.
Additionally, the Nashville Predators have also signed defenseman Dante Fabbro to a one-year, $2.5 million contract for the 2024-25 season.
Preceding his professional career, Fabbro served as an alternate captain for Team Canada, contributing significantly to the team’s triumph in securing a gold medal at the 2018 World Junior Championship, a silver medal in the 2017 tournament, and was the leading defenseman in assists at the 2016 U-18 World Championship with an impressive tally of eight assists in seven games.
Fabbro has amassed a total of 12 points, comprising two goals and 10 assists, throughout 51 games while representing Nashville this season, marking his fifth year as a dedicated NHL player. Noteworthy is his surpassing of his prior season’s assist and point tallies from the 2022-23 season. Presently, Fabbro shares the third position on the Predators’ roster in plus-minus with a commendable rating of +11. Moreover, Fabbro has also achieved personal bests in goals (3), assists (21), points (24), and plus-minus (+13).
ITR 49: For Real This Time – Inside The Rink
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